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Written by renowned bartender and cocktail blogger Jeffrey Morgenthaler, The Bar Book is the only technique-driven cocktail handbook out there. This indispensable guide breaks down bartending into essential techniques, and then applies them to building the best drinks. More than 60 recipes illustrate the concepts explored in the text, ranging from juicing, garnishing, carbonating, stirring, and shaking to choosing the correct ice for proper chilling and dilution of a drink. With how-to photography to provide inspiration and guidance, this book breaks new ground for the home cocktail enthusiast.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...my favorite drinks book of the year is The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique. Mr. Morgenthaler, a well-regarded Portland, Ore.-based bartender and blogger, notes that a great cocktail requires a combination of three elements: recipe, ingredient and technique. He admits that the first two have been well-plumbed in existing books, then lasers in on the third. Just learning how to make his ingenious but simple "MacGyver Centrifuge" with cheesecloth and a salad spinner to filter fruit juices is nearly worth the cover price." - Wayne Curtis, The Wall Street Journal

"Jeffrey Morgenthaler is our kind of guy; an obsessive practitiioner of lost arts and an inventor in his own right." - from Playboy

"An accessible but sophisticated primer that could render the rest of the cocktail library obsolete." - Library Journal

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There's "Setting the Table" by Danny Meyer, to learn about being truly hospitable. There's "The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks" by David Embury, to learn about the theory and practise of mixology. And now there is "Bar Book" by Jeffrey Morgenthaler*.I've trained about 60,000 bartenders in 60-odd (sometimes very odd) countries in the last 15 years. I've founded Europe's largest bar school as well as an award-winning craft cocktail bar, and if I could go back in time I would give Jeffrey's book to each and every student I've ever had. As it is, I will give it to every student I have from now on.Jeffrey's research, insight and experience have resulted in a book that will shave years off the time needed to master drink making, leaving more time for professionals to concentrate on creativity and hospitality, and for interested Cocktailians** to concentrate on seducing your neighbours' wives (and husbands) at the excellent cocktail parties you will henceforth be able to effortlessly throw.

This is where you click "buy now". Now!

* Disclosure: Jeffrey is a friend and contemporary of mine, but such a cheap, thoughtless bastard that not only did he not think to offer me a financial inducement in return for a positive review, I even had to buy my own copy of this annoyingly excellent book.

I recently set up a home bar and have been looking for guides that would show the ins and outs of preparing quality cocktails. There seem to be a lot of books out there with recipes, but none of them really get down to the fundamentals of technique. I have even looked into professional bar-tending classes, but they seem to inconvenient and I suspect they focus as much on customer issues and how to crank out the drinks. I typically only have one drink a night: I want it to be a good one!

This book truly delivers. It is beautiful with magnificent photos, it's the right size to sit on a bar shelf and, most importantly, it really gets down to the details of technique. A good example is the chapter on shaking...

About a week ago (before buying this book) I cracked the glass part of my Boston Shaker when trying to release it. It made me realize that I really had no idea how to deal with shaking a cocktail in general. Then along comes Morgenthaler's chapter on shaking. He starts by listing (in detail) the different shakers and how they can be used. He describes (in detail) the brands and qualities of the various shakers and what characteristics you should look for in each type (heavy gauge vs. light gauge steel for example). He then continues with how to grip the Boston Shaker (in detail - are you seeing a pattern yet?) and even how to practice shaking (he has his trainees use rice in the shaker).

In short, this is EXACTLY the sort of information I had been looking for. The book is all about the technique that creates a truly wonderful cocktail. Yes, it includes some great recipes (more can be found on the author's blog) and, yes, it has great pictures and the explanations are well written. But most of all it gets down to the details that you could probably only get if you had a pro working alongside you.I suspect that there is a lot of great information in this book for even for professional bartenders, but it remains very accessible.

I can guarantee that the pages of my copy will soon be stained with various bitters, spirits and juices.

My husband is getting into craft cocktail making as a hobby. This book discusses the technique, tools, and products best used to make a quality cocktail, not just recipes. It has some recipes but isn't all inclusive. He got it for Christmas and has enjoyed reading, learning, and making us some delicious libations. So much better than a generic "how to" book.

Very informative in that he not only explains how things are done, but also, why. Even if you just like an occasional quality cocktail or you're a home enthusiast this book will expand the scope of your understanding & knowledge into the mysteries of mixology. To use an analogy he goes from the fundamental of how to boil water into how to prepare a 5 star meal. Great read.

This book is unlike any other bar book I own. Talk about going into really great detail on things we take for granted (e.g. best ways to juice a lemon, best drinkware to heighten cocktail's aroma/flavor). If you're a "dinner party bartender", you'll love this book. I have a great bar down in my basement and I've been buying expensive alcohol only to *ruin* them by not respecting the tools, glasses & garnishes with which we take a good drink and make it a great drink.

I bought this as a gift for my cousin who is a bartender. You can never know enough drinks. There were plenty of drink recipes that she learned from this book which added to her knowledge of cocktails. She really liked this book.

I've been following Morgenthaler on-line for years. When I saw he had written a book, I bought it without hesitation. This is NOT a book full of recipes (although there are a few). It's more about how and why.If you are a professional Bartender or just want to know more about Bartending technique/history, this is a must have. I own many books on Bartending, but this one is, by far, my most valuable. It is full of "how to" information and Morgenthaler's insights are unique and genuine. Buy the book!

This book totally changed my cocktail game. I have been trying for a while to make great cocktails at home and was hitting wall after wall without being able to figure out why. After reading Morgenthaler's book, my cocktails consistently come out clean, precise, and well balanced. It's incredible the difference technique makes. This was my first cocktail book, and I would highly recommend it as a first for everyone else.